University of Virginia Library

CCCLXVI. Draft for the Commissioners of a Preliminary Report
on the Condition of the Colony
June or July (?), 1623

May it please yor most excellent Matie

Howsoeuer in regard of the shortnes of the tyme wch yet we haue had §as
yet§ to enquire into the thorough estate of the plantac̃ons according to
the particular headℯ of the Com̄ission for that purpose, by yor Matie
granted §directed§ vnto vs: yet finding by what alreadie appeareth vnto
vs (especiallie by the ɫres that haue come vnto or handℯ wch were brought
home in the last Shipp that came from thence §Virginia§ wch arriued here
about a fortnight since, that the estate of that Colony §at this p̢nt§ is most
§weake and§ miserable, weake, * * * * * as desperate and if
§conceaving that vnles§ by yor Maties: speciall care and prouidence it be
not forthwith releiued and some better course taken then of late yeares
hath ben for ordering and directing those affaires both there and here, wee
conceaue that that worke the whole worke in all probabilitie §is§ like to
come to vtter ruyne: we hold it to stand wth or duties, and wth the trust by
yor Matie in that behalfe reposed in vs, faithfullie and truly to enforme of
yor Matie: that notwithstanding the great Sum̄s of money wch in that
action haue ben imployed a great p̱te whereof hath ben drayned from yor
people in generall, by the Lotteryes, and much also brought in by priuate
Aduenturers, and notwithstanding that §euen§ wthin theis 4 yeares or
thereabouts there haue ben transported aboue a fowre thowsand of yor
Subiectℯ, besidℯ those wch §who§ went thither during the first 12 yeares
wch were §beeing§ ab as we are informedb about §about§ 2500 p̱sons many
of wch retourned from thence home againe, and, at * * of them as some
enforme vs about 600 but §of wch§ nomber there remayned as we conceaue
aboue one thowsand when Sr Thom̄s Smith left the gouerment, yet we haue
good reason to beleaue that there are not now in all very §veryd few§
p̱sons §left in the Colony§ but how many left we cañot come certainly
come to the knowledge of by reason that the Catalogue of their names

(wch were §was§ wont to be yearelie sent from thence) is this yeare either
not sent or at least concealed from vs wch doth much increase the or
suspition concerninge the §weakenes & paucitie of the people there§ espe-
cially because the letters wch we haue seene doe not only make mention of
extraordinarie mortality besidℯ the Massacre lately hapned but in some
we find in the relation of a principall Officer in his left there in his ɫre to his
§a§ priuate freind: That the through their owne Imbecilitie the leuing were
hardly able to bury the dead weakenes of and paucitie of the people there:
We find also that not only the liues of so heauye hand of god had so
suppressd them that the liuing were hardlie able to bury the dead through
their owne Imbecillitie in so much sayeth he as I am afraid we haue not
lost lesse then 500 by sicknes (wth a generall weakenes of the rest) wch taken
out of so small a nomber (farr short of yor coniceture so as aboue 3000
of yor Subiectℯ haue ben lost wthn theis 4 yeares but also that those few
that remayne there are in a very poure and almost desperate estate in
regard of extreame dearth &: That there nombers are farr short of their
coniectures here: That they haue lately lost 500 by sicknes, and that he
beleaveth they haue not left behind them so many able men in the Contrey:
And in expresse wordℯ more expressly he sayeth that when they were to goe
vpon th' Indians they could out of the whole Colony but raise 180 (whereof
80 were fitt only to carry burthens) to incounter wth a * * * Indians
We find also that not only the liues of aboue 2000 diuerse thowsandℯ of
yor Subiectℯ haue ben lost wthn theis 4 yeares but also that of those few
that remayne there are in a very poore to and almost desperate estate in
regard of extreame dearth & famyne and the mortalitie that thereby
occasioned as also by reason as also by reason of th' enmitie of the Sauages
who haue lately com̄itted many insolencies and §actions of§ barbarous
hostilitie amongst them: By both wch they are §Colony is§ reduced into
very great extremities, their owne ɫres making menc̃on that they haue no
Corne but what is brought thither by Shipps vnto them, that their principal
substance is only a little water grewell, that a penny loafe wch conteynes
not aboue a mouthfull of bread must serue 4 men for a day and in generall
that the price of a hogshead of Meale is there at 12li the price of a Hogg ten
§5 or 6§ poundℯ and other necessary prouisions ratable and yet not sufficient
to susteyne §halfe§ the Colonye at those Rates to be had so that in all
likelihood it seemes doubtfull to vs by the ɫres wch we haue seene whether
the poore people that there remayne are in more danger of staruing wth at
home, or §of§ hauing their throates cutt abroad. It appeareth also that §ffor
all me * * for ought appeares to vs all meanes of safety is taken from
them§ The fortes and other publiq̢ workes §& buildingℯ§ wch were erected
§made§ during Sr Tho. Smithes tyme §for their defence§ are ruynedf and
none in their roome g erected since that tyme erected h §few or§ no skillfull
§& experienced§ gouernors leaders and Com̄anders left amongst them or sent
thither during these last 4 yeares wch in or opinion is one of the cheifest
causes of the miseryes wch haue befallen them: The publiq̢ stock of the
Companie wch by Lottaryes at the the begining of the wthin theis 3 or 4
yeares brought in about 30000li thirtie i thowsand poundℯ is wholie
exhaustedk §the Company at this tyme much indebted§ the antient
Aduenturers it seemes to vs are much dishartned and so haue in a mann9
of late yeares deserted the business, As for Staplel Com̄odities we §can§
heare of none that within theis 4 yeares haue come from thence. Those
few that haue ben attempted to be raysed haue miscarried, and the money
and labour §therein vtterly§ lost: so that we cañot only say that the case
§for ought appeares to vs th' estate§ in generall of that plantac̃on is
extreame §not only§ miserable and wthout yor Maties but remediless vnles it
shall please yor most excellent Matie by aduise of yor out of yor tender
care and compassion of the t most calamitous and distressed estate of
yor poore Subiectℯ there remayninge to giue p̢nt dir order and direc̃on for
their releife; not by sending them Corne §& other p̳uissions not§ by way of
mrchandise as hath lately ben vsed to take aduantage of their misery &
necessities by making them pay most vnconscionable prizes, but either of
free guift or at such reasonable rates as all their meanes §of sustentation§
wch consists only §by wch the poore people subsist beeing only§ by planting
a little Tobacca may not be Taken from them for a little ffood: §but some-
what left to cloath and cherish them§: As also that yor some able and
experienced Com̄a Gouernors and Com̃anders may forthwith be sent to
who may be all meanes possible prouide for their safetie and defence, wch
is we conceaue against those rude na rude and naked people might wthout
much difficultie be effected seeing we find §it is affirmed§ that antiently
when the Colony consisted of farr less nomber of able p̱sons then now it
doth, and yet that so great was their prouidence §of thexpert Gouernors &
Officers in those tymes§ that they did not only preuent any such disasters
as haue lately befallen them by the handℯ of the Indians, but that contrari-
wise they either forced them to a m good correspondence and made many if
not all yet most of their bordering Sauage Princes to pay a yearelie contri-
bution of Rent Corne & other p̳uisions for releife of §by wch§ the English
Colonye was plentifullie prouided. This out of the necessitie of the p̢nt
case §wch we conceaue will admitt no delay wee§ we haue thought doe
§in the generall most humblie offer to yor princely wisedome in generall to
be (reseruing a more exact and thorough examinac̃on of all p̱ticulars to a
further tyme) we doe in all humilitie offer to yor princely wisedom wch
as it doth clearelie shine in all the partes of yor Gouerment, so that it not
a little appeared in this, That in a tyme and season so fitt and season so
opportune for yor sacred help you haue ben pleased to cast yor eye vpon
th' estate of yor poore subiectℯ so farr remote whose extreame miseries
beeing by yor excellent goodnes §now§ releiued, and further direcc̃ons §a
better settlement§ therevpon established may putt a new life into this
noble enterprise, and remayne yet a further monument of yor renowned
Pietie, Prudence and Justice and Clemencie §vn§ to all Posteritie.